The nine types of startups Y Combinator thinks the world needs in 2018

“There are always startup ideas that we hope more founders will come to us with. These are the concepts we believe will be important in the coming decades.”

Every year, thousands of startup founders apply to Y Combinator in the hope that their company will be funded and join the ranks of YC alumnilike Dropbox, Airbnb, Stripe, Instacart and reddit. Through the application process, we at YC get to see what some of the smartest, most creative people on the planet are thinking about at that moment in time.

Since 2005, we’ve funded over 1,500 companies, which are now collectively valued at over $85 billion. Many of the best ideas we’ve funded were ones that surprised us. For example, when Airbnb applied to Y Combinator in fall 2008, the idea of renting and sleeping on an air mattress in someone else’s house was unappealing to many, and it’s one we wouldn’t have thought of ourselves.